With all the patent battles going on between Apple and Samsung, it only makes sense that the world puts the new iPhone 4S and Galaxy S II up against each other as the two leading consumer devices on the market.

They have been compared on every front from screen size to processor to camera. There have been heated debates on both sides, each trying to make the case that their favorite handset is on the top of the heap. But honestly, the only spec that really matters when you come down to it is whether or not the beloved 4S or the revered S II can withstand the nightmare of people across the globe: being dropped from height onto concrete.

Let’s face it, there is not a person in the world who would be thinking about which phone is better when it hits that concrete from four feet in the air. All they are thinking about is whether or not that sucker is still going to work, or if that beautiful Retina display has shattered or not. So which handset can withstand a high velocity meeting with the ground? This is not a test that would usually have volunteers, but the guys over at SquareTrade, who specialize in warranties for such devices, stepped up to the plate and dropped an iPhone 4S and S II from height to see what would happen.

The result is the video below, but if time is precious, we can skip to the end and tell you that the 4S shattered easily, and some functionality was lost. The S II however, it took a licking and kept on ticking. Its screen stayed intact and cosmetically the damage was minimal. It may have something to do with the fact that Samsung’s new device is mostly made of plastic, and the iPhone is a slick glass handset.